The invention comprises a reusable or disposable intra-oral ice pack for the reduction of swelling and the relief of pain resulting from dental surgery or trauma to the human mouth, palate, lips, cheeks or gums. It is made to fit any oral site such as the lingual, buccal, labial, palatal, gingival or mucosal areas of the mouth. The intra-oral ice pack is shaped to fit firmly against a portion of the upper or lower oral cavity for use during post-operative oral surgery or following trauma to the mouth.
The usual method of reducing swelling in the mouth area is the application of an ice pack, having water or some other liquid or semi-solid substance as its temperature storage medium, externally to the face, in the area adjacent the mouth, cheek or jaw. The patient is usually given an ice pack with instructions to hold the pack on the face with one or two hands following surgery. It is a major problem for the patient to comply because it interferes with the patient's use of his hands for other needed purposes.
The use of ice packs is common for the effective treatment of bleeding, pain and swelling in maxillofacial and oral surgery as well as traumatic injury. The application of ice to the affected area in the first hours after surgery or injury reduces swelling at the site, thereby reducing pain. Bleeding is also substantially minimized as local blood vessels are constricted by the application of cold locally to the affected site. To reduce swelling in the mouth, the current practice is to apply an ice pack externally to the face in the mouth, cheek or jaw region.
One type of internal cold pack has been suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,122 to Mitnick, however his device is a U-shaped mouthpiece, with thermal bags adapted to be attached where desired, and suffers from being too large and uncomfortable for the patient and not capable of reaching certain affected areas. In addition, his added bags are susceptible of coming loose from the base to which they are attached, which can be dangerous for the patient. In addition, Mitnick does not use or disclose a binder, which makes his device less flexible and thus uncomfortable for the patient.
Cold packs are generally comprised of a flexible envelope or enclosure enclosing water or a chemical gel which serves as a temperature storage medium. The enclosure is usually made of a thermoplastic film such as polyethylene or polypropylene containing a liquid or gel which has a low freezing point. Preferably, the gel maintains its gel-like consistency over a wide range of temperatures and is non-toxic. The envelope or ice pack containing the ingredients specified is put into a freezer or other chilling device for a short period of time to reach the desired consistency and temperature.